Boy Scouts of America is one of the most tradition-rich organizations in the country, but they will be making a massive change this year as the organization announced that it has changed its name to Scouting America, dropping the “boy” portion of the name in an effort to promote more inclusivity.
The decision was announced on Tuesday, marking the first time the organization’s name has changed in its entire 114-year history.
“In the next 100 years we want any youth in America to feel very, very welcome to come into our programs,” president and chief executive officer Roger Krone said during an interview before the announcement, according to the Associated Press.
Over the past few years, the organization has taken gradual steps toward becoming more inclusive to everybody. In 2013, the group began welcoming gay members for the first time and ended its ban on gay leaders in 2015. In 2017, the organization announced that girls would be able to join as Cub Scouts in 2018 and then the Boy Scout program — which was then renamed Scouts BSA — beginning in 2019.
Obviously, this is a massive change for the tradition-rich organization, and it led to a lot of reactions on social media.
I'm sure people will be totally normal about this https://t.co/mfbFyl5wM6
— Patrick (@Oh_HelloPatrick) May 7, 2024
Shocker all the worst people are pissed about this. https://t.co/2oLsBtNZc8
— Sergeant343 (@Sergeant_343) May 7, 2024
God help us. We can’t have “boy scouts” any more. https://t.co/YRAgN2U9b3
— Mark Davis (@MarkDavis) May 7, 2024
The name change is going to make some people mad, but I love it. And this is coming from a former girl scout. They have the right to move forward as an organization and ensure their name reflects their core values. https://t.co/lHKhuylvLl
— Allison Wiltz Psy.M. (@queenie4rmnola) May 7, 2024
How long til someone accuses them of going "woke" with this name change despite it being necessary https://t.co/SN3f33IjhF
— Kyle Debelak (@Kyle_Debelak) May 7, 2024
Male only organizations are a good environment for young boys to become men. This move is idiotic. https://t.co/qU9uGDlksL
— Matthew (@reaganbush84fan) May 7, 2024
An a former Boy Scout and Eagle Scout, I think it’s wonderful to see the program make itself available to more young people. In such a digital world, it’s good to have a reason to spend a weekend outdoors. https://t.co/pZo43WxqxI
— Griffin Fill (@GriffinFill) May 7, 2024
To rebuild a society you have to tear out the roots of the old one, from words to institutions to the way people think. https://t.co/5MlEJss1s3
— Truth Enjoyer (@TruthEnjoyer_) May 7, 2024
Scouting America hopes that these changes will lead to an increase in membership across the country as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims.
